Engagement [Book 3: SEKTOR V Trilogy]

Chapter 6: Triugha's Rigel

Chapter 6. Triugha's Rigel

Nokus Rikulii, who served as the Alpha Centauri representative on the Sektor V Council was growing tired of the incessant complaining. Each time he returned to Triugha, he and the AC Global Secretariat, Minkon Blees, exchanged briefings. In years past, Nokus looked forward to the routine, especially since it meant he was coming home. As a nice bonus, the gatherings would always be held on the island of Wieka, which was located within Triugha's very pleasant temperate climate zone near the equator. However, at this point, Nokus dreaded the trip back. For the past several years, the mandatory three-day meetings felt more like three-month prison sentences. For Nokus, they had reached the point of being unbearable...

'Day three, hour 7...' Nokus almost gleefully thought to himself as he tried, in vain, to tune out Blees' endless droning.

"Are you even listening, Councilmember?" Minkon Blees asked him with a clear look of disdain in his eyes.

Unfortunately, yes he (protectively) thought to himself before answering verbally.

"Mr. Secretariat, how many times and in how many different ways do you wish me to answer your incredibly repetitive question? Once again, the Governing Board's wishes, while perhaps well-intentioned, are still nevertheless wholly unreasonable and completely impractical. Even if I were to bring up the call for a vote regarding the cessation of Human colonization on Rigel, the motion would be instantly denied by the Council Chair. It would never come to light. And if by some miracle the vote did reach the floor, it would be summarily rejected by other Councilmembers. The Human race is still teetering on extinction and given what they have already endured via Zeta aggression, they retain considerable goodwill within our Sektor. You will simply have to find a way to compromise with Colonial Leadership.

After three days, it appeared that even the typically unrelenting and unrepentant Minkon Blees was beginning to wear down. With his head in his hand and looking away he finally spoke after a several second pause...

"It is quite clear that you simply have no empathy for those of us who actually reside on Triugha. As someone who was born and raised on this planet, I find it surprising, not to mention quite irritating, that I must repeatedly remind you of the irrefutable fact that our habitable landmass is extremely limited. As you are fully aware, we have strict reproduction limits that have been in place for millennia. THIS is why the Rigel Terraforming project was initiated."

So much for wearing down, Nokus thought to himself.

"Have you ever visited Rigel, Councilman?"

Blees paused and continued to stare at Nokus who initially thought the question was rhetorical.

"Yes, of course, but not in recent years," Nokus finally replied.

"No, you haven't. As the official records clearly show, your only visit to Rigel was 97 Earth years ago. Hardly an expert on what is going on now, are you?"

Physical confrontation, despite its vulgarity, was something that occasionally crossed his mind when interacting with Blees. This was one such occasion...

"No Blees, I have not been there in some time. As you may or may not be able to comprehend, many other more pressing galactic priorities occupy my time. Regular visits to a satellite outpost are not high on that list, so I offer my apologies to you and the Governing Board."

Nokus could see that his reply visibly irritated Blees.

"Well, arrogance aside, if you were in touch with what matters on this planet, Councilman Rikuli... the one you supposedly represent...you would recognize that this is a high priority issue for many citizens not galavanting on other worlds and trying to solve problems for other species."